(L to R) David Arquette and Courteney Cox in Paramount Pictures “Scream.”
Preview:
Courteney Cox will be back as Gale Weathers for ‘Scream 7.’
Original writer Kevin Williamson is on board to direct.
Neve Campbell is returning to star as Sidney Prescott.
It has apparently ‘Scream 7’ Casting Week this week, as several actors have been added to the latest entry in the horror thriller franchise, which has original ‘Scream’ writer Kevin Williamson aboard direct.
And to round things off, there is news today via Variety that franchise veteran Courteney Cox is joining fellow stalwart Neve Campbell in the new movie.
Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Cox, of course, plays Gale Weathers, the sharp and ambitious news reporter-turned-author who’s often found herself at the center of the Ghostface killings, and has appeared in every instalment to date.
Her return looked less likely back in September, with Cox telling Variety that she was not officially signed on, but seemingly happy with the choice of Williamson to direct, admitting that “it’s going to be fun.” It appears she’s found a good reason to come back (probably several million reasons).
Williamson will be working from a script by Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt, who worked on the most recent outings.
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What’s the story of ‘Scream 7’?
(L to R) Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Executive Producer Kevin Williamson on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s 2022’s ‘Scream.’
There are no details yet on what Williamson’s film will feature, but with Campbell’s return as Sidney Prescott and Isabel May playing Sidney’s daughter, chances are the Prescott family will be in the spotlight.
This also opens the door up for a potential return from Detective Mark Kincaid, played by Patrick Dempsey, who met Sidney when he was investigating the murders that happen in ‘Scream 3’ and ended up married with a family.
Kincaid has not been glimpsed since that movie, but Sidney does call him on the phone in one of the more recent entries. Dempsey has yet to be confirmed as coming back.
Then, Variety brought word that Mason Gooding, who played Chad Meeks-Martin in both 2022’s ‘Scream’ and 2023’s ‘Scream VI,’ would return as the character in the new movie.
There’s no word yet on whether Jasmin Savoy Brown, who appeared as Chad’s sister Mindy in both movies, will join her screen sibling.
Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, left, and Director Tyler Gillett on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
To this point, the development of the next ‘Scream’ installment has been more trouble than a scorned lover throwing on a cloak and a Ghostface mask to hunt their friends.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett effectively rebooted the ‘Scream’ franchise with 2002’s ‘Scream’ and followed it up with this year’s ‘Scream VI’, opted to move on after their second effort, choosing instead to make vampire movie ‘Abigail’, which arrived this year.
Production company Spyglass Media Group found a suitable replacement in Christopher Landon, who previously directed the ‘Happy Death Day’ movies and ‘Freaky’, but then things started to go wrong.
Melissa Barrera fired from ‘Scream VII’
(L to R) Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter) and Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
While calling for a cease fire in the conflict might not seem all that controversial, some of the reposts on Barrera’s Instagram account have edged over into potentially troubling opinions.
‘Scream’ production company Spyglass issued a statement on the situation:
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
That was followed by word that her co-star, Jenna Ortega, would not then be returning fir the new movie. Ortega’s departure was chalked up to schedule clashes with Season 2 of Netflix hit series ‘Wednesday’, and indeed the decision was reportedly made months before Barrera’s statement and subsequent firing. The timing, though, remains somewhat suspicious.
With his main stars absent, Landon also quit the movie, citing that it had become a nightmare in development.
Neve Campbell talks ‘Scream’ return
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Here’s what Campbell had to say on the news of her return:
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct ‘Scream 7’! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
McKenna Grace is the latest recruit for the ‘Scream’ franchise.
Original writer Kevin Williamson is on board to direct.
Neve Campbell is returning to star as Sidney Prescott.
The casting cavalcade for the next ‘Scream’ outing continues to roll onwards. Following a troubled development period (read more about that below), it seems to be firmly on track, with original writer Kevin Williamson stepping up to direct and main star Neve Campbell returning as Sidney Prescott.
And in a bit of breaking news, Variety brings word that Mason Gooding, who played Chad Meeks-Martin in both 2022’s ‘Scream’ and 2023’s ‘Scream VI,’ is returning as the character in the new movie.
There’s no word yet on whether Jasmin Savoy Brown, who appeared as Chad’s sister Mindy in both movies, will join her screen sibling.
What’s the story of ‘Scream 7’?
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
There are no details yet on what Williamson’s film will feature, though given that Campbell is back as Prescott and May is playing her daughter, you know it’ll factor into the Prescott family.
This also opens the door up for a potential return from Detective Mark Kincaid, played by Patrick Dempsey, who met Sidney when he was investigating the murders that happen in ‘Scream 3’ and ended up married with a family.
Kincaid has not been glimpsed since that movie, but Sidney does call him on the phone in one of the more recent entries. Dempsey has yet to be confirmed as coming back.
What has happened with ‘Scream 7’ so far?
Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, left, and Director Tyler Gillett on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
To this point, the development of the next ‘Scream’ installment has been more trouble than a scorned lover throwing on a cloak and a Ghostface mask to hunt their friends.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett effectively rebooted the ‘Scream’ franchise with 2002’s ‘Scream’ and followed it up with this year’s ‘Scream VI’, opted to move on after their second effort, choosing instead to make vampire movie ‘Abigail’, which arrived this year.
Production company Spyglass Media Group found a suitable replacement in Christopher Landon, who previously directed the ‘Happy Death Day’ movies and ‘Freaky’, but then things started to go wrong.
(L to R) Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter) and Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Melissa Barrera was dropped from the franchise for social media posts supporting Palestine in the tragic, ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
While calling for a cease fire in the conflict might not seem all that controversial, some of the reposts on Barrera’s Instagram account have edged over into potentially troubling opinions.
‘Scream’ production company Spyglass issued a statement on the situation:
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
That was followed by word that her co-star, Jenna Ortega, would not then be returning fir the new movie. Ortega’s departure was chalked up to schedule clashes with Season 2 of Netflix hit series ‘Wednesday’, and indeed the decision was reportedly made months before Barrera’s statement and subsequent firing. The timing, though, remains somewhat suspicious.
With his main stars absent, Landon also quit the movie, citing that it had become a nightmare in development.
Neve Campbell talks ‘Scream’ return
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Here’s what Campbell had to say on the news of her return:
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct ‘Scream 7’! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
And the actor has several new movies in the works, including the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s ‘Regretting You’ opposite Allison Williams, to be directed by Josh Boone. She’ll also be seen in sports biodrama ‘Perfect’ and romantic drama ‘99 Days.’
As for Rechner, he made an impact in ‘Fabelmans’ as Logan, the high school bully of Gabriel LaBelle’s 16-year-old Sammy. He also appeared in comedy drama ‘Ruby’s Choice.’
On the small screen, he was part of the cast for Netflix series ‘Heartbreak High.’
When will ‘Scream 7’ be in theaters?
‘Scream 7’ will release in theaters worldwide via Paramount Pictures on February 27th, 2026.
(Left) Celeste O’Connor in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’. Photo: Columbia Pictures. (Right) Isabel May in ‘Run Hide Fight’. Photo: The Daily Wire.
Preview:
Isabel May and Celeste O’Connor are the latest recruits for the ‘Scream’ franchise.
Original writer Kevin Williamson is on board to direct.
Neve Campbell is returning to star as Sidney Prescott.
It appears the ‘Scream’ franchise might finally be back on track after a patch of chaos (more on that below.)
With original writer Kevin Williamson on board to direct the next movie –– that would be ‘Scream VII,’ though all the current reports are writing the title as ‘Scream 7’ –– we now know at least two of the people who will be joining a returning Neve Campbell (who famously declined to appear in the last entry over a low pay offer).
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
There are no details yet on what Williamson’s film will feature, though given that Campbell is back as Prescott and May is playing her daughter, you know it’ll factor into the Prescott family.
This also opens the door up for a potential return from Detective Mark Kincaid, played by Patrick Dempsey, who met Sidney when he was investigating the murders that happen in ‘Scream 3’ and ended up married with a family.
Kincaid has not been glimpsed since that movie, but Sidney does call him on the phone in one of the more recent entries. Dempsey has yet to be confirmed as coming back.
To this point, the development of the next ‘Scream’ installment has been more trouble than a scorned lover throwing on a cloak and a Ghostface mask to hunt their friends.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett effectively rebooted the ‘Scream’ franchise with 2002’s ‘Scream’ and followed it up with this year’s ‘Scream VI’, opted to move on after their second effort, choosing instead to make vampire movie ‘Abigail’, which arrived this year.
Production company Spyglass Media Group found a suitable replacement in Christopher Landon, who previously directed the ‘Happy Death Day’ movies and ‘Freaky’, but then things started to go wrong.
Melissa Barrera fired from ‘Scream VII’
(L to R) Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter) and Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Melissa Barrera was dropped from the franchise for social media posts supporting Palestine in the tragic, ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
‘Scream’ production company Spyglass issued a statement on the situation:
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
That was followed by word that her co-star, Jenna Ortega, would not then be returning fir the new movie. Ortega’s departure was chalked up to schedule clashes with Season 2 of Netflix hit series ‘Wednesday’, and indeed the decision was reportedly made months before Barrera’s statement and subsequent firing. The timing, though, remains somewhat suspicious.
With his main stars absent, Landon also quit the movie, citing that it had become a nightmare in development.
Neve Campbell talks ‘Scream’ return
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Here’s what Campbell had to say on the news of her return:
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct ‘Scream 7’! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
Coming up, she’ll be seen in sci-fi horror ‘Menace,’ romantic comedy ‘Love Language’ and romantic drama ‘Falling.’
O’Connor played Lucky in the two recent ‘Ghostbusters’ films (‘Afterlife’ and ‘Frozen Empire’), and they were also seen in Sony/Marvel’s ‘Madame Web,’ the Zach Braff-directed drama ‘A Good Person,’ body swap slasher ‘Freaky,’ (ironically, had Christopher Landon stayed, this would have marked a reunion) and the Sundance drama ‘Selah and the Spades.’
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, as well as executive producer, co-showrunner and director Ted Humphrey about season 3 of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’, what fans can expect from the new season, the hunt for Glory Days’ killer, choosing the novels to adapt, finding authentic Los Angeles locations to shoot, what the series means to Garcia-Rulfo, and ideas for a possible season 4.
You can read the interviews below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3. Photo: Netflix.
Moviefone: To begin with, Manuel, can you talk about how season 2 ended and what fans can expect from season 3?
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo: We finished last year’s second season with discovering his friend Gloria Dayton (Fiona Rene) being murdered, so that’s very shocking. In this season, I think, because of that, the stakes are a lot higher because we follow that case and he’s trying to find the truth and who did it. Because it’s so personal, the stakes are higher. He knows that the people behind it are very dangerous, and he knows that he puts his family in danger and himself and friends. But there’s something about him that he must find the truth and justice for it, no matter what. I think that’s why this season is so alive, and the stakes are so high, because there’s so much at stake and so many obstacles that he has. So, it’s just more personal, and it just feels heavier.
MF: Do you think Mickey’s personal feelings will cloud his judgement and could get in the way of him finding Glory Days’ killer?
MGR: Yeah, definitely. I think that sometimes it blurs his judgment of things, and that’s why it is so important for him. So again, it’s so personal that the stakes are higher.
(Right) Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3. Photo: Netflix.
MF: Ted, can you talk about how you choose which Michael Connelly books to adapt for each season, and how involved is he in that decision?
Ted Humphrey: Well, that’s a great question. Michael has a say in everything. Michael’s a great partner on this show, and it’s really been one of the great professional and personal experiences of my life to work with him. He’s incredibly collaborative. It can be a little daunting to tackle adapting a series of books and have the author of those books be involved because sometimes authors don’t always appreciate what Hollywood does with their work. Michael is incredibly appreciative, and incredibly collaborative. He’s the first person to always say, “We can do better than what was in the book” or “Let’s change this.” He’s appreciative of the ways in which we update the books. I know he was very vocal about that with season two because we took a book in season two that was, I don’t know, 10 or 15 years old, and that the plot of which dealt with the subprime mortgage crisis, which was very relevant when the book was written in 2008 but wasn’t very relevant today. We changed a lot of that to make it about gentrification and celebrity chef culture and things that are not in the book, but that are relevant today. We did that while keeping the basic structure of the story and, most importantly, the character relationships. I know he was really taken with how we did that. So, he does have some say, but ultimately, we’re choosing the books that will flow best from one to another. This book that we adapted this season, ‘The Gods of Guilt’, is my personal favorite of the books or one of them. I know it’s one of Michael’s personal favorites as well because it’s the most emotionally deep and resonant of the books, for the reasons we were just talking about, that it’s so very personal to Mickey and how personal it is played out in a variety of ways throughout the book and throughout the season. So, to some extent, ever since I started this show, I’ve been looking forward to adapting this book, but we couldn’t just do it right away because there are things that you must set in motion in previous seasons to build to the story of this book and Glory Days being chief among them. So, I’ve been looking forward to adapting this book for a long time, and it really has been a thrill to do so.
MF: Manuel, do you read the books that you are adapting before you begin shooting, or do you prefer to just read the scripts for the series?
MGR: I used to read them, and I love Michael Connelly, he’s a genius. He’s brilliant. But then to adapt it to the TV to make it work, sometimes they change some characters, and they bring in other characters from other books. So, I prefer to first, shoot the season, read the scripts, and then just for fun (read the books), because otherwise I start getting confused. So, I start getting ideas from the book that are not on the script. I think it’s better to focus on the scripts of the TV show, and then for fun, I’ll read the book. This is a lot of work. It’s like five months of not having a personal life. But again, it’s so fun. It’s one of those things that, yes, you want to finish, and it feels so good, but at the end, you’re going to miss your coworkers because we became like a family now.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3. Photo: Netflix.
MF: Ted, the show takes place in Los Angeles and is also shot in Los Angeles locations that are not always seen in movies and on TV. Can you talk about how you choose the specific downtown Los Angeles locations where you shoot?
TH: I mean, it’s a great question. We have a wonderful location department, and they’re a huge part of what we do on the show. We’re fortunate, first, just to shoot the show in Los Angeles. As we all know, we built this whole city to shoot things and then everything has gone elsewhere and it’s been devastating, of course, to the production economy here and everything. These books are so LA-centric. They don’t just take place in LA. They’re really about LA. So, right from the get-go, it was always going to be the case that we had to shoot the show here. There are budget considerations to that. It simply costs more to shoot here than it costs to shoot other places. So, we must be smart about how we do that, and the locations department is a big part of that and combining locations and episodes in a certain way to maximize our bang for the buck or whatever in terms of our shooting schedule and all. But we make it a point to highlight different areas of Los Angeles and to try and highlight them as authentically as possible and show the reality and the verisimilitude of what Los Angeles is today, obviously a majority Latino city, but also an incredibly diverse city in terms of other ethnicities as well, all around the city. The food is a big part of that. Mickey is a foodie in the books, although in the books he eats at Dan Tana’s a lot, and he takes his daughter to Du-par’s in the valley, which is no longer there even. So, we’ve kind of expanded that. There’s something about a guy who works out of his car that enables you, because of the literal vehicle of the car, to explore every aspect of the city, both visually, but also from a culture and food standpoint. So, we try and take as much advantage of that as we can.
MF: Manuel, what has it meant to you personally to have the opportunity to bring this character to the screen and work with this cast and crew?
MGR: Amazing, man. You can imagine a guy from Mexico, from Jalisco, playing a lawyer in Los Angeles and being a very successful show is just, I don’t know. I’m very grateful and very thankful with the network, with the showrunners to take the chance on betting something that I am sure behind the scenes the executives were like, “Oh my God, we’re going to hire a Mexican to play a lawyer.” But it worked. Thank God, but I’m very thankful for that. They took the chance. It’s amazing for me. I feel blessed and grateful.
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3. Photo: Netflix.
MF: Ted, can you talk about working with Manuel and what he’s brought to this role and this series?
TH: He’s made the character his own. That was a process, although it was a process that really began on day one of shooting the first episode. Why did we cast Manuel? Because he made the character his own. Even in the audition, it was this kismet moment. The character in the books is Latino American, and we were very focused on honoring that. We looked at many different possibilities for this character. Right from the audition tape, he just became the character. In part, it’s his natural charm, which is funny because in real life he’s a humble and almost shy person. But on screen, he has this just natural effortless charisma and charm, and you believe that this is a guy that gets up in court and wins things as much with that as with whatever legal argument he’s making basically. So, he’s great to work with. This is a complicated show in terms of the dialogue. He’s playing a lawyer. He has these huge court scenes. There’s a lot of complicated legal jargon, so that’s a lot of work for him. He’s very meticulous, and he puts a lot of effort into bringing this character to the screen, and it’s literally physically and emotionally draining for him to do, especially when we have these long days in the courtroom. He gets just physically exhausted by the end of those days. We try and work around that and help him in whatever way we can, but he’s incredibly dedicated to bringing the character to the screen the best way every time.
MF: Finally, Ted, do you already have ideas for season 4 and which of Connelly’s books you might adapt?
TH: Well, we absolutely know what season four will be. We’ve set it in motion at the end of season three in the same way that we set season three in motion at the end of season two. Every TV series is all about the audience. We’ve been incredibly gratified by the response to the show, by how successful the show has been. If people want to (continue to) watch, we really love making this show. Obviously, we’ve got a wealth of material to work with from Michael’s books, as well as things that we invent. There’s a lot of roads still to go for these characters and this show. So yes, we have season four all planned out as to what it’s going to be and where it’s going to go. If people want it, we are very excited to deliver it to them. Beyond that, we have ideas for what at least one or two seasons after that would be. But again, it’s just all about the audience enthusiasm for the show.
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What is the plot of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3?
Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles. Based on the series of bestselling novels by renowned author Michael Connelly, the third season is based on the fifth book in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ series, ‘The Gods of Guilt’.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3?
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller
Becki Newton as Lorna Crane
Neve Campbell as Maggie McPherson
Jazz Raycole as Izzy Letts
Angus Sampson as Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski
Yaya DaCosta as Andrea “Andy” Freemann
Elliott Gould as David “Legal” Siegel
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ season 3. Photo: Netflix.
Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Preview:
Courteney Cox is in talks for the next ‘Scream’ movie.
If she signs up, she’ll return alongside Neve Campbell.
Longtime writer Kevin Williamson is directing.
Are things finally turning around for the ‘Scream’ franchise? It has been hit with various issues in the last year or so, losing cast and filmmakers.
But now there is some positive news to report, with Neve Campbell returning to the iconic role of Sidney Prescott and now, according to Variety, Courteney Cox –– who has been a part of the ‘Scream’ films since the start and has appeared in all of them to date, in talks to once more return.
(L to R) David Arquette and Courteney Cox in Paramount Pictures “Scream.”
Cox plays the role of Gale Weathers, a scoop-hunting journalist who senses a juicy story when Campbell’s Sidney is threatened by masked killers following her mother’s death.
Initially an annoyance for Sidney, the two become friends as they deal with various incarnations of the killer (or killers), and Weathers ended up married to sheriff’s deputy Dewey (David Arquette). The pair later divorced, and Dewey (spoiler alert) perished in 2022’s legacy sequel entry ‘Scream’, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Neve Campbell back for ‘Scream’
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct ‘Scream 7’! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
“It’s been nearly 30 years since my very first script, ‘Scream,’ was directed by the legendary Wes Craven. I never would have predicted what it would become. Or that I would be directing the seventh installment of the franchise. I am overcome with gratitude and excitement, and I can’t wait to take this journey with Neve and the entire ‘Scream’ family as we bring back Sidney Prescott in the next chapter of the ‘Scream’ franchise. Thank you to all the ‘Scream’ fans. You are the gift that keeps giving.”
The Trouble with ‘Scream VI’
(L to R) Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter) and Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
This newest ‘Scream’ movie has had a troubled development, as production Spyglass fired star Melissa Barrera over posts regarding the Israel-Hamas War that the company viewed as antisemitic, and Jenna Ortega dropped out due to apparent scheduling conflicts. ‘Happy Death Day’ director Christopher Landon was hired to handle the movie, but he also left, citing the “nightmare” of the film’s various issues.
But with Campbell, Williamson and now Cox returning, it’s finally back on some sort of solid path to screens.
(L to R) Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Executive Producer Kevin Williamson on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s 2022’s ‘Scream.’
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Preview:
Neve Campbell has announced she’s back for the new ‘Scream’ movie.
Kevin Williamson is on board to direct.
The new movie previously lost its main starring duo and director Christopher Landon.
There finally appears to be some good news in the offing for the ‘Scream’ franchise, and for fans of Neve Campbell’s iconic Sidney Prescott.
After the actor sat out the most recent movie (‘Scream VI’, which nevertheless became a box office hit) because of an insultingly low pay offer, she has now hit social media to announce that she’ll be back for the seventh outing.
And that’s not all –– Kevin Williamson, who cooked up the concept for the original ‘Scream’ wrote three of the original four movies and has served as an executive producer on all of them, is also back: and this time he’s stepping into the director’s chair.
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Neve Campbell Talks ‘Scream’ Return
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Here’s what Campbell had to say on the news:
“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!! Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented Matt and Tyler team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct ‘Scream 7’! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years.”
(L to R) Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Executive Producer Kevin Williamson on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s 2022’s ‘Scream.’
To this point, the development of the next ‘Scream’ installment has been more trouble than a scorned lover throwing on a cloak and a Ghostface mask to hunt their friends.
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett effectively rebooted the ‘Scream’ franchise with 2002’s ‘Scream’ and followed it up with this year’s ‘Scream VI’, opted to move on after their second effort, choosing instead to make vampire movie ‘Abigail’, due this year.
Production company Spyglass Media Group found a suitable replacement in Christopher Landon, who previously directed the ‘Happy Death Day’ movies and ‘Freaky’, but then things started to go wrong.
(L to R) Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter) and Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Melissa Barrera was dropped from the franchise for social media posts supporting Palestine in the tragic, ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
While calling for a cease fire in the conflict might not seem all that controversial, some of the reposts on Barrera’s Instagram account have edged over into potentially troubling opinions on Jews.
‘Scream’ production company Spyglass issued a statement on the situation:
“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
That was followed by word that her co-star, Jenna Ortega, would not then be returning for the new movie. Ortega’s departure was chalked up to schedule clashes with Season 2 of Netflix hit series ‘Wednesday’, and indeed the decision was reportedly made months before Barrera’s statement and subsequent firing. The timing, though, remains somewhat suspicious.
With his main stars absent, Landon also quit the movie, citing that it had become a nightmare in development.
The Campbell and Williamson news would certainly serve to get things back on a more even keel, though there is currently no release date for the movie.
(L to R) Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and Executive Producer Kevin Williamson on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s 2022’s ‘Scream.’
Perhaps the most controversial element of the most recent ‘Scream’ outing (that would be ‘Scream VI’, for those keeping count) was the fact that franchise stalwart Neve Campbell, who has played Sidney Prescott since the start, opted not to return, citing a lowball pay offer.
The movie proceeded on regardless, only dropping a one-line mention of Sidney preferring to stay with her young family rather than thrusting herself back into stabby danger.
Yet according to Kevin Williamson, whose roots also go back to the first ‘Scream’ (he wrote the 1996 original, its 1997 sequel and 2011’s ‘Scream 4’), production company Spyglass made the wrong call in not cranking open its wallet further to bring Campbell, and therefore Sidney, back.
Kevin Williamson on the Neve Campbell pay situation.
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
“I totally respect her opinion. I know exactly where she’s coming from, I know her well. I love and adore her and that’s what she did. It’s right for her. I love everyone involved in ‘Scream’ and all I can say is, pay her the money. That’s what I would do, I would give her the money. I’m sure there’s a number they can agree on that will make them both happy, so hopefully one day they will figure that out.”
And on a more interesting note, he also used the podcast appearance to outline his ideas for where he would have taken Sidney’s story following ‘Scream 4’.
Executive Producer Kevin Williamson and Ghostface on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream.’
Williamson said this about his own ideas:
“‘Scream IV,’ ‘V,’ and ‘VI’ would have been the love story of Sidney Prescott, and it would’ve been this whole thing of she’s falling in love, she’s going to get married, it’s all based around her marriage when these murders start happening again. It’s like, is this man that she’s in love with the killer again? Is she Billy Loomis-ing herself all over again? Is she still making the wrong decisions? Is she still choosing the bad guy?”
We’ll probably never know the answer, because there’s a whole new behind-the-scenes team being assembled for ‘Scream VII’.
What’s happening with ‘Scream VII’?
Director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, left, and Director Tyler Gillett on the set of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Last month, the news arrived that because of their commitment to an untitled Universal monster movie, Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin were moving on from the ‘Scream’ franchise (and, after cranking out two successful movies, we don’t blame them for wanting to try something fresh).
Instead, ‘Happy Death Day’ and ‘Freaky’s Christopher Landonis aboard to develop the seventh entry, though obviously it’s currently in limbo because of the writers and actors’ strikes. Still Campbell’s character is still alive, so there remains a chance she could return. Assuming, of course the price is right.
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Premiering on Netflix beginning August 3rd is the second part of season 2 of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer,’ which is based on author Michael Connelly’s popular novels and was co-created by David E. Kelley (‘Boston Legal’) and showrunner Ted Humphrey (‘The Good Wife’).
What is the plot of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 2?
Season 2 of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is based on author Michael Connelly’s novel ‘The Fifth Witness,’ and sees lawyer Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) taking on the case of Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla), a chef accused of murdering a real estate developer.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 2?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with executive producer and showrunner Ted Humphrey about his work on ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Season 2 – Part 2, developing the series, adapting ‘The Fifth Witness,’ what fans can expect from the second half of season 2, why the season was split in two halves, Mickey’s current case, why Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was the right actor to play Mickey Haller, collaborating with Michael Connelly, and if we’ll ever see the show crossover with Connelly’s other series, ‘Bosch.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, why did you want to adapt Michael Connelly’s ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ novels into a series?
Ted Humphrey: I think first of all, it’s been one of the great pleasures of my career to work with Michael on this, and he’s super involved in it, just like he is with ‘Bosch’ and his other projects. He’s created a character that has a universal appeal. I’m a former lawyer myself. I love legal stories when they’re well done. I did a show called ‘The Good Wife’ for a long time. I love legal shows when they’re well-crafted. I think what Michael’s books have is an authenticity to the legal world. Everything that’s in the books, the nuts and bolts of what’s in the books is all accurate. That’s something that’s very important to me. We strove to do that on ‘The Good Wife,’ and I get very irked by legal shows and movies where things happen that aren’t realistic, often in terms of the timing of how they happen. Things happen very fast in a lot of legal TV shows. Somebody gets murdered and the next day somebody’s on trial. Of course, in real life, things take a lot longer than that. They take years sometimes. So I like to honor the real amount of time that things take, and I also like to honor the nuts and bolts of it. I think the nuts and bolts of it could be very interesting and the audience finds it very interesting when you make it dramatic, and Michael’s books do that. So, I thought this was a perfect vehicle to tell people interesting things about how the legal system works wrapped around this very compelling character. We’ve been able to do that now in both seasons with taking little tidbits of the legal process and building whole episodes around them. But ultimately, it all comes down to this very fundamentally hopeful character that Michael has created. I think the show tells a redemption story. When you meet this guy at the beginning of season one, he’s this broken man on a beach who’s lost everything. So, over the course of seasons, the show will tell this redemption story of this guy kind of growing into himself, becoming who he is, and figuring out who he is.
MF: Can you talk about what happened in the first half of Season 2, and what fans can expect from the second half?
TH: I’m going to actually take one step back and talk about season one for a second. Season one, again, had us meeting a man who has lost everything in his life to an addiction to pain pills. He’s lost his career, he has lost his family, he doesn’t really know where he is going, and he gets a lifeline thrown to him in the form of this very big media frenzy case that also will pay him a lot of money. It’s another thing our show does that I think smart legal shows do, which is they pay attention not just to the kind of big questions of right and wrong, but also to the nitty-gritty of what lawyers do with their day, which is make a living. Mickey’s a criminal defense attorney. He has to make a living. He needs clients who pay him money. He’s not a public defender. He used to be a public defender, but he’s not anymore. So, in seasons one, he wins this case and where we meet him in season two is he’s kind of in some ways the polar opposite of that guy. Now, he’s on top. Now, he’s this media celebrity and newspapers are interviewing him, and Jake Tapper is interviewing him and all of this stuff. Clients are pouring in and he’s flying a little too close to the sun. Hubris, a little bit of arrogance, and a little bit of stubbornness all play into him making some poor decisions about cases that he takes and so on. Then, in his personal life, he’s still struggling with the breakup of his marriage with his ex-wife, who he still pines for, who is played by Neve Campbell wonderfully. When that goes south, he meets this woman, Lisa Trammell, who’s a restaurateur. He has a one-night affair with her, and then she ends up becoming his client when she’s accused of the murder of this real estate developer who’s trying to buy her out and gentrify her neighborhood. Where we leave off at the end of the first half of season one is that he has been assaulted by persons unknown and left for dead in the garage of his building, kind of playing on the symbolism of cars and driving in our show that is so central to Los Angeles, but so central to this character as well. He’s literally beaten up and left for dead in front of his car in the garage of his building. So, when we pick up in the second half of season two, we find out what the aftermath of that was and how does he figure out who did this to him, and how does it play into the case? What are the twists and turns of figuring that out?
MF: What was the reason for splitting season 2 into two parts?
TH: It was not a decision we made. It’s something that Netflix does with some of their shows, particularly I think some of their bigger, more successful shows. They’ve done it with ‘Stranger Things.’ They’ve done that with ‘Ozark.’ They’ve done it with a lot of shows. It was something that they kind of toyed with and decided, “We’re going to try and do it here.” So, it was not really a creative choice of the producers of the show, but at the same time, it was something that we were fine with and we had a natural organic cliffhanger that came in the middle of the story to build to, so we didn’t have to kind of jam that in there. It was already going to be there. It worked out quite well. It gave us a natural place to split the season without us having to do anything artificial to make it happen.
MF: Can you talk about why you decided to adapt ‘The Fifth Witness’ for the second season?
TH: The way that worked, before we began the process of making the season, Michael Connelly and (executive producer) Dailyn Rodriguez, who I run the show with, and I got together for about a month and kicked around and decided that was the book that we wanted to do. We kind of figured out the tent poles of what that would look like for this season, so that we had a roadmap going into the season. We brought the writing staff in to write that, and ultimately the production staff in to make it, of course. It just felt like a natural progression from the first season to this season that we could make this transition from the broken man to the man who’s on top of the world. But of course, he’s not really on top of the world, and there will be a price to pay for that sort of hubris. In the series of books, there is a book in between them, which is called ‘The Reversal.’ We just felt, for story reasons that that book didn’t really fit as well here, but we love that book. So, it just kind of naturally organically fit. Now, having said that, Michael’s still writing these books, and he just published a new Mickey Haller book a couple of years ago and another one’s coming out this fall. But this particular book was written in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008. The story of the book actually deals with a woman whose house is being foreclosed on by a mortgage banker, and that wasn’t particularly relevant to 2023 Los Angeles. So, one of the things we did was we changed that to the gentrification debate that’s going on in Los Angeles today and the world of foodie culture and celebrity chefs. We made it a chef in a rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood, who this big real estate developer wants to buy her out of the restaurant and put up condos, or something like that. We also made her a love interest for Mickey, which she was not in the book, as a way of expanding upon his personal relationships.
MF: Can you talk about how Mickey’s judgment has been clouded with this case?
TH: Well, I mentioned this is a man who can be arrogant at times and who can make poor choices. One of the things I love about our show is we’re a show about lawyers and crime and all of those things, but we’re also a show that, I hope, features real human beings, and real human beings make dumb choices sometimes and do things maybe they shouldn’t. In this case, everybody is sort of saying, Mickey, “Are you sure you want to do this? This might not be the best idea.” Yet, he does it anyway because he kind of lets his pride and maybe his feelings for this woman, and certain other things cloud his judgment as to whether or not this is really a good idea. Complications ensue, let’s put it that way.
MF: Why was Manuel Garcia-Rulfo the right actor to play this specific version of Mickey Haller?
TH: So, we looked at a lot of actors. We’re going back now several years to when we were just starting to make season one. We’re talking about the fall of 2020 at this point, or the late summer of 2020, so we’re going back three years. We looked at a lot of actors. When we brought the show to Netflix, it was very important to Netflix, and to us, that we honor the Latino heritage of character. The movie that they made with Matthew McConaughey, they decided to go a different direction and they didn’t do that at that time. It was very important to us to do that. We looked at a lot of choices. The character in the books is Latino-American, but more American in the sense that he was born and raised in Los Angeles and doesn’t have an accent, and doesn’t really speak Spanish in the books. He’s a person of Latino heritage, but he is not a Latino-forward person. We looked at choices across the spectrum, and many fine actors who were terrific and just for one reason or another weren’t right. We were starting to wonder, “Gosh, who is this person?” Then Manuel auditioned and we watched his tape and I just said, “That’s it. There’s Mickey right there.” It wasn’t maybe at first exactly what we had in mind in the sense that that Manuel is 100% Latino, he is 100% Mexican, he has an accent, and English is not his first language. Spanish is his first language. He’s certainly not a lawyer. On the surface, he maybe isn’t exactly what’s on the page of the book, but when you see him play a scene from the show, you just go, “That’s it.” He’s got the effortless kind of charm and intelligence. He’s saying one thing, but there’s something very clever going on behind his eyes while he’s saying it, that is exactly who this character is on the page. It gave us the wonderful opportunity to explore even more fully than Michael does in the books, the Latino heritage of the character. I mean, do it in a very organic way where he speaks Spanish because he speaks Spanish, and it’s not something we had to jam in there. It just is what it is. A lot of that was driven by Manuel himself, who very much wanted to explore the heritage of this character, and will pitch different things that we do. Then we’ve built on it now, introducing his mother. We found a wonderful piece of chemistry between him and his daughter, and that they both speak Spanish and can communicate to each other that way. So, finding Manuel to play this part was lightning in a bottle.
MF: What’s your experience been like working with author Michael Connelly on this series?
TH: Michael’s incredible to collaborate with. In the past, in my career when I’ve adapted novels, you don’t usually work really closely with the novelists. Sometimes they don’t really want to be involved in that process, and often, for good reason. They can be very precious about the work. Michael is one of the most collaborative people I’ve ever worked with and one of the least precious about the characters and the world that he’s created, and he should be precious about those. The raison d’être of the show is to honor what he’s done in the books and to honor those characters in that world. But he’s the first person to pitch, “Hey, I think we can do better than what was in the book. Let’s do this.” Or if somebody pitches a change, if it’s a good change, he’s the first person to say, “Yes, let’s do that.” So, he’s so refreshingly not precious about it. What he’s precious about is he wants to make the best show possible and whatever that is, the best idea wins. He’s 100% on board with that. So, it’s been really one of the great experiences of my career to work with him on this.
Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch in ‘Bosch: Legacy.’ Photo: Tyler Golden. Copyright: Amazon Freevee.
MF: Finally, as fans of the novels know, Mickey Haller is actually the half-brother of Connelly’s other popular literary character, Harry Bosch. Is there any chance that there could ever be a ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ and ‘Bosch: Legacy’ crossover, or is that impossible because the two shows are produced by different studios?
TH: As I understand it, it’s an impossibility because of the different auspices involved. I mean, I guess one might never say never because stranger things have happened in the world. But we have approached it as these are two completely different worlds. We’ve had to approach it that way. They approached ‘Bosch’ that way as well because in the Bosch books, Mickey Haller occurs quite a bit, but Amazon didn’t have the rights to that character, so they’ve inserted different characters into those places, and we’ve kind of done the same thing. We’ve interestingly built two parallel worlds in two different shows on two different platforms, that both spring from a common source if you will. Interestingly, I’ve seen articles online about the crossover of actors between the shows, which is not something we’ve given any thought to, meaning we’re not purposely trying to cast actors that have been in ‘Bosch,’ nor are they purposely trying to cast actors that have been in our show, but yet, we appear to do that. There are a number of actors who’ve appeared in both shows in different roles, which is interesting. But it’s not something we’ve paid attention to. There have also been articles about common locations, and it’s like, we shoot in an authentic real world LA and they shoot in an authentic real world LA, so of course they’re going to be common locations. But I think, creatively, organically, they spring from the same source, and there’s a common ethos behind both series. of books, which then infuses both television series. So, I think people who enjoy one tend to enjoy the other, certainly because they both delve into certain things. I kid Michael, that my sister is a public defender and has been for a long time, and she said that Michael’s her favorite author and that Harry Bosch is her favorite character in fiction. I said to Michael that, “You’re doing something right If a public defender’s favorite character is a cop, because public defenders and cops don’t usually get along very well.”
Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Hacking its way into theaters on March 10th, ‘Scream VI’ represents the latest attempt to mine the sprawling serial slasher movie series.
How far is too far with franchise sequels? It’s something that was on the mind of 2022’s confusingly titled ‘Scream’, which looked to start a new chapter of the veteran horror franchise while, as is usual with these movies, grappling with the legacy of both the established storyline and the genre itself.
Directed by ‘Ready or Not’ duo Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, it was a savvy, sometimes scary success, though not the best entry in the franchise even given the ways it played with the concept. But its box office bonanza ($137 million worldwide from a $24 million budget) means the pair, alongside writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, are back for a second stab at Ghostface killings.
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What’s the story of ‘Scream VI’?
Picking up the story roughly one year since the events of last year’s ‘Scream’ “rebootquel”, which charted a new story around characters such as Jenna Ortega’s Tara Carpenter, Melissa Barrera’s Sam Carpenter and twins Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), all of whom had links to either killers or victims from earlier movies.
Having survived the seemingly traditional slayings in their home of Woodsboro, California, the foursome have moved to New York City, where Tara, Chad and Mindy are attending college. They’re trying to put the past behind them –– especially Tara, who just wants to have fun with booze and boys –– but Sam is still haunted by the last round of killings and her actions. She’s even in therapy working through her feelings.
And she has extra reason to be concerned, as someone online is spreading the conspiracy theory that Sam actually framed the real killers, one that is taking root among the city’s citizens (witness an early encounter where someone throws a drink in her face and calls her a murderer).
You can imagine their shared horror, then, when the legacy of Ghostface appears to follow them to the big city, first via a pair of fellow college students and then in ways they truly did not predict. Fandom for the ‘Stab’ movies plays a big part in the new movie, as does legacy.
Which means that our heroes once more afraid for their lives again, Mindy outlining the rules of continuing franchises in true ‘Scream’ fashion and starting to suspect that the people around them could all be suspects…
(L to R) Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter) and Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
The cast for this one remain game and relatable, with Ortega and Barrera carrying the emotional load while Brown and Gooding bring the lore and the laughs. Courteney Cox, of course, still knows exactly how to sell Gale’s blend of cynicism and moxie (and her presence offers a little extra tension this time around given that the main characters are annoyed that she’s spun the tragedy of the previous movie into another cash grab book).
Hayden Panettiere returns from ‘Scream 4’ as Kirby Reed, and the team finds an interesting new avenue for her that feels distinct from some other legacy characters. And when the big revelations start to drop, they mostly feel organic.
The location shift from Woodsboro –– which is something that has only happened in a couple of other ‘Scream’ entries –– makes for some impressive new set pieces, including one set at a Bodega (where the owner of course has a shotgun stashed behind the counter) that puts the audience in mind of the raptor/kitchen scene in ‘Jurassic Park,’ a tense chase in an apartment building that features a high drop and a ladder and the main cast crammed into a crowded subway train that is full of people in costumes, including more than one Ghostface.
It also offers a new tone and feeling to the show, the dark streets and towering buildings of the city a fertile hunting ground for whoever is in the masked costume.
Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
Are there problems with ‘Scream VI’?
One huge issue with any modern ‘Scream’ is the burden and bulk of the franchise. There have been six films now and so many different variations of killer (usually killers) that it’s hard to find something fresh for a new iteration. ‘Scream VI’ stretches this a little too thin in a few places, wanting to be so clever with the idea of the films’ legacy that it rolls around into a few dumb, unoriginal concepts.
Some of the new characters, by dint of where they end up, feel less developed, and while the opening scene (featuring someone from ‘Ready or Not’) looks to play on the idea of movie-series-within-the-movie ‘Stab’ as something that people study a little too closely, but is mostly played for cheap scares.
Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s “Scream.”
Do you miss Neve Campbell’s Sidney in ‘Scream VI’?
The big issue, and indeed test for the new movie is the absence of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, who bowed out of appearing in this one because the studio offered her an embarrassingly low payday.
While franchises do survive without core cast members, Sidney’s absence is certainly felt, since she has been the heart of ‘Scream’ since the 1996 original. Yet her removal is not such a wound that the film collapses –– Courteney Cox is still around of course, and while Gale brings a different energy to the movie than Sidney, her link to the past is still welcome.
It’s also an opportunity to open the story up to other legacy characters such as Panettiere’s Reed, who has her own trauma to work through and is used in interesting fashion here.
Overall, ‘Scream VI’ tries a little too hard to squeeze in everything about the franchise, and the seams perhaps show a little more than in the directors’ previous outing. It’s still fun and energetic, though, and should please fans who have stuck with the movies this far.
‘Scream VI’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
Ghostface in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group’s ‘Scream VI.’
‘Scream VI’ is produced by Paramount, Radio Silence, Project X Entertainment, and Spyglass Media Group. It is set to release in theaters on March 10, 2023.
Samara Weaving as Major O’Hara / Scarlett in ‘Snake Eyes.’
Cameras are rolling on the next ‘Scream’ Movie, which, while it’s being referred to as ‘Scream 6’, will more likely end up titled ‘Scream II’ or some immediate sequel variant, since the most recent movie was simply called ‘Scream’.
Weaving has experience with the directors – she starred as a young woman who marries into a wealthy family, only to discover their dark gaming traditions in ‘Ready or Not’, which was the movie that is partly responsible for the pair landing the job in the ‘Scream’ world.
Revolori, meanwhile, is more known for his work with Wes Anderson and acting as smug high schooler Flash Thompson in the latest three live-action ‘Spider-Man’ movies.
It has so far made more than $140 million worldwide and a sequel was announced almost as soon as it debuted. As it turns out, the creative team – which includes James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick once again co-writing the script – had already been figuring out what the next movie should be, which explains while it’s already in production.
Barrera, Brown, Gooding and Ortega are all officially confirmed to be coming back for more, having survived their encounter with the cloaked menace in the last movie, called, like the original, simply, ‘Scream’.
Spyglass Media and Paramount have yet to announce much about the story, save for the hint that it follows those four surviving younger characters leaving the town of Woodsboro behind to start a fresh chapter in their lives.
Also on board for this latest movie is veteran Courteney Cox, once more back as intrepid journalist Gale Weathers, plus Hayden Panettiere, returning as Kirby Reed, who last tangled with Ghostface-related terror in ‘Scream 4’.
“Sadly, I won’t be making the next ‘Scream’ film,” Campbell said in a statement. “As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to ‘Scream’. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
There have been rumors of a boosted offer to star not just in this next film but also a potential seventh outing, but nothing is official right now.
Whatever the final title is, the next ‘Scream’ will be dialing up some scares in theaters from March 31 next year.
